Kefersteinia
Last update: 17 August, 2002
This is a wonderful genus of orchids. I maintain two species and both are a delight to grow. They are steady growers and extremely floriferous, rarely being without at least one flower. The plants themselves are compact epiphytes, growing as they do in the form of a clump of leaves. The flowers are produced from the base of the leaves and are usually level with the surface of the substrate.
Kefersteinia costaricense is a
lovely little plant with flowers produced at base level. They are
slightly pink in colour with a pink- to purple-spotted throat. It
is extremely floriferous and usually has five or six substantial flowers
on show at any one time. It grows well in a pot of Sphagnum but
would do well in the confines of a vivarium on a slab of cork or other
substrate.
One of my
favourite plants, K. lactea is never without flowers. It
produces them in abundance, and they sit at ground level in groups of
two and three. They are pure white with pink to purple spotting in
the throat. They last well and I can thoroughly recommend this
species to anyone who is looking for a small plant (some 7 to 10 cm
high) with a flower bright enough to lighten a dark corner.
